


Late nights and.  early flights

by LadyMalinore



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, F/M, Outdoor Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 14:23:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13436658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyMalinore/pseuds/LadyMalinore
Summary: Honerva is just beginning to understand what prolonged exposure to  quintessence really means. As usual, she is willing to make sacrifices of herself for knowledge, zarkon however has other plans.





	Late nights and.  early flights

**Author's Note:**

> Short and sweet, but larger works are soon to follow. Come chat on tumbler anytime under ladymalinore

The rift beast contained, and her second.... no.... only home now, safe at the moment thanks to the newly formed Voltron, Honerva feels the pressure more than ever to discover all she can about the glowing tear. Yes, it was true that daibazzal was firmly governed by her husband emperor Zarkon, but even he was not fully immune to pressure the alliance could begin exerting upon him to abandon the rift research if she did not yield results to justify her work. Lords of old, if Alfor had his way her work would have already been scrapped!

A sneer curls her lips as her thoughts drift back to the day he dared suggest her work was too dangerous and should be halted immediately. As if Voltron was truly all they should gain from this gift the comet had given them! With a weary sigh as she crunches numbers from her latest quintessence sample, Honerva rubs her eyes and fights back tears, Alfor had always stood behind her work, with questions about her methods now and again, which were to be expected ,but this time he'd gone too far! Her husband should not have had to intercede and remind Alfor just who was in charge, and that the quintessence research would continue. She still feels like a heavy weight has settled in the pit of her stomach for causing this black spot to stain Emperor Zarkon and King Alfor' s long standing friendship. But in time Alfor would understand..... quintessence is life.......

Of course Zarkon had held her close afterwards and assured her that Alfor had simply been pushed too far emotionally with the events of the day. He simply needed time to come around. A soft small smile graces her lips as she rembers his gentle hand carefully cupping her face, as his bright yellow eyes searched her face for any signs of lingering distress from Alfor's outburst. After all, her Lord was a galra, and the galra fiercely defended all aspects of their mate's wellbeing. 

"Don't worry honerva, Alfor will come to believe as I do in time, .....quintessence is life.........." he'd then simply taken her by the hand and led her back to the palace so they could discuss what direction their research would now head, and how best to protect their people from the rift. 

What began as a tickle in the back of her throat progressed rapidly to a deep painful cough that left her gasping for breath and leaning over her consoles. Once the bright stars that had exploded in her vision faded and her dizziness subsided Honerva calmly charted the occurrence in a small black book kept in a locked compartment at her desk. Briefly she scanned the previous pages as she absentmindedly wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth. 

A frown creased her brow, these coughing fits were happening more often and seemed to be causing more pain with each passing decaphoebe that she continued her research. Even more worrisome she had begun to notice her altean cheek markings seemed to be lengthening ever so slightly, and there was a white steak in her hair that should have taken another 100 to 200 decaphoebes to become so pronounced. Of course she was not clueless as to the cause of her issues, quintessence, even in a much less pure form would cause health problems from overexposure, but She would find a way around this issue. Surely it would not continue to progress if she were more careful when handling the quintessence. 

There was still so much to learn, she could not stop now just to ease a few physical discomforts! The very thought caused her chest to seize in fear! The Galra and the rest of the universe could benefit greatly if she just pushed herself a little harder, Zarkon and their people would benefit from clean sustainable energy, she could make the lives of all galra easier! 

The hiss of the doors to the lab opening caused her to curse softly as she hastily tucked her logbook away. It would not due for zarkon to discover her sensitivity to the quintessence. A brief pang of guilt caused her to wince as her husband strode in quickly to embrace her, still in his paladin armor. Clearly he had made a bee line to see her first before reassuming the mantle of Emperor to all the Galran empire. Of course since the alliance was still young, and the galra had not always been as peace driven as the Alteans, the slight changes in her appearance would not alarm him, or cause any concern, he was still getting use to the many colors that Alteans displayed, versus the galra which came in two basic forms, the mostly furred feline galra of the north with their large ears, or the more heavily armored and smaller ear galra of the South, which zarkon descended from, all of which were purple, white, and black or s one combination of, with yellow eyes and redish to orange pupils. 

" Working late as usual I see, you are to be commended for your unwavering loyalty to the galra my Empress". Quietly zarkon pulled her close and touched his forehead to hers while gently rubbing a claw over the tip of her ear in the traditional galran display of affection reserved only for a mate. 

Honerva shivered pleasantly as she felt a blush rush to her cheeks. Of course she had missed her mate horribly and longed for his presence at her side, but another part of her, a strange rasping whisper from the back of her mind, was disleased he was interrupting her work.....quintessence is life........you cannot afford a distraction......... A small frown formed as she shook her head to clear away the unpleasant voice, it seemed to be increasing in strength as her physical symptoms manifested more and more. She made s mental note to chart that in her logbook as well at a later date. 

Zarkon regarded her quietly when she did not speak and seemed to deflate a bit. Of course he understood she carried out her duty to his people by continuing her research..... but as his mate, he wanted, no needed, her attention, however briefly to stay focused directly on him, it was a selfish thought, but he loved him empress so much, and his work as emperor and a paladin stole enough Of their precious little alone time. Of late, it seemed that Honerva was having more trouble balancing these aspects of her life. He could not help but think that some of her new single mindedness for research was somehow linked to the small changes in her appearance. He had brought this subject up once as delicately as possible, but had been unnerved by how vehemently his wife had denied this link. Zarkon could tell her demeanor was not as jovial as before, but then again her work had taken on a new sense of urgency with that blasted alliance and Alfor still pushing for the rift research to be discontinued, it was no wonder she was stressed! Zarkon's eyes narrowed as he thought of anyone having the power to disturb his empress and cause her stress, not for the first time this phoebe he felt stirrings of anger and coldness toward Alfor, who in his mind was the cause of his dear wife's changes. Honerva had simply stressed that her work was becoming more complex which required her full attention and was on the brink of a new breakthrough for his people's starship fuel. 

At the time the prospect of refining pure quintessence into starship fuel had been so tantalizing that zarkon was willing to retreat from her lab so she had no distractions. However, zarkon still knew the dangers of becoming to engrossed in ones work. There had to be time for her to relax, time for them to just be together, otherwise she would continue to decline, and this he would simply not allow. 

I can fix this, he thought determinedly to himself as he absent mindedly traced lazy circles delicately with the tips of his claws on her back as she doggedly continued her work. Honerva hummed appreciatively arching her back into his strong hands. Inspiration from their courtship struck him as he smiled almost wickedly. Before their marriage he had discovered she had a love for flight and exploring the natural wonders of his world. He knew just the thing to take his wife's mind off work. 

His black lion had a much larger compartment for them to comfortably relax and take a break from prying eyes. Honerva would not be able to resist a chance to see the lion in action, and he knew the perfect spot from their courtship to distract her long enough to help her remove the pressure of her work if only for a while. 

"Love, why don't you step away from this work, join me for a flight in the black lion, we can visit the red sea of Daibal and bask in the moonlight on its golden beach."

Honerva turned her face toward him as she mulled over his suggestion. His hands had gone from tracing circles on her back to suggestively running down her side with one hand while cupping her hip with the other as he tugged her away from the computer screens and into his arms for a warm embrace. His worried gaze pleaded with her silently to agree with him.

She sagged tiredly against his paladin armour and nodded . Honerva couldn't help but smile as his eyes lit up and he gave her a wide, sharp toothed grin. It never ceased to amaze her how large and strong her hansome galran husband was. Perhaps just one evening of his second in command keeping a watchful eye on the Empire while she and zarkon relaxed would do them both good. The formation of voltron, while mostly a blessing, was also another thing that required her husband's attention and therefore left both of them with less time for each other. 

Yes, Honerva decided to herself quickly, time with her zarkon was just what she needed! Unbeknownst to zarkon when he was off working with the other paladins honerva would often work through the night and skip meals, all if which were of course not helping with her continued exposure to the quintessence. Of course she had threatened her research staff and the servants from letting zarkon know that his absence affected her so while out on his missions. She simply had to push forward and keep her mind from worrying about him while he was away by throwing herself completely into her research. If she was going to lose sleep in his absence she might as well have something to show for it. 

Yet tonight he was here, her arms thrown around his strong barrel of a chest as she listened to his deep contented purr as he rested his chin on the top of her head. Slowly he stooped to sweep her off her feet, resting her small frame against his chest as they headed towards his lion. Once inside she giggled as he seated her against him in the cockpit of his lion. She tensed briefly as the beast seemed to come to life and it's thrusters engaged. 

Now as they moved quickly through the air she took the time to study the interior of the black lion. Her inquisitive mind tried hard to stay focused, but her thoughts kept coming back to the man she leaned against, perfect..... She thought blissfully as she let her hands roam against the seams of his armour. 

Zarkon regarded her silently as his attention was split between ship and mate. As honerva's hands began to explore him in earnest, he found himself grateful to have such a strong connection to his lion. Black was practically flying herself as if begging him to let go of his responsibilities and just enjoy his wife. Of course zarkon obliged and tilted her head up to allow his lips to meet hers in that strange Altean mating ritual known as a kiss. While not unenjoyable for him, he far preferred his wife's response which was to take those small dull pearly teeth of hers and sink them into his earlobe lightly before sucking on the tip of his ear. Honerva had long ago learned his most sensitive areas and how to exploit them. 

He sucked in his breath and threaded his claws carefully through her lavender hair and paused briefly to brush his thumbs over her red cheek marks before gently nipping at her neck. Pride swelled in his chest when his mate let out a low breathy moan and bucked her hips suggestivly into him. Zarkon was not one to bestow his affection easily, but once he and honerva had began their courtship in earnest he'd found it easy to try new things and show her physically any chance he got the depth of his love for the small Altean alchemist. 

With a jolt that startled them both the lion gracefully landed on the golden sands that over looked the red sea of daiban. Honerva squeaked and clung hard to zarkon who circled his arms protectively around her when the lion suddenly tilted forward and gently expelled them both from its maw. 

Dazed honerva clutched Zarkon's large hand as she looked around. Zarkon was chuckling as he noticed the lion had been kind enough to land beside one of the large rock outcroppings that afforded complete privacy. He shook his head as the lion's eyes seemed to gleam in a pleased way. Gently he tugged at honerva's hand to lead her to the edge of the red waters. 

Slowly he began peeling off his armor until only the black flight suite that hugged his masculine form remained. Honerva to her credit only blushed slightly as she traced a hand down his chest and smiled softly at him. Zarkon was again purring deep in his chest as he narrowed his eyes in pleasure. He pulled her down to lie in the sands with him and nuzzled her cheek as his hands began roaming across her chest and thighs letting his claws lightly drag. Honerva gasped and bucked while her clever fingers gripped his now thickening member through the suite as best she could and pumped him once firmly. 

Zarkon let out a guttural curse in ancient galra as his hips unconsciously bucked toward her and he began to pant. His hands visibly shook with the effort it took not to shred the dress his empress wore to ribbons in an effort to undress her. His growl turned into more of a whine as he struggled with that damn delicate zipper at the back of her neck. 

Honerva laughed and took pity on her mate, she swiftly reached up and unzipped the garmet, then stood and let it fall away. Zarkon discarded his flight suite in much the same manner and his eyes practically glowed with lust as he beheld his beautiful mate's body in the pale moon light, which only served to showcase her curves more. 

Honerva pushed her mate back against the rock outcropping and let her hands splay across his abdomen and gradually reached lower at a irritatingly slow pace. Zarkon snarled in impatience and scooped her up after only letting his mate pump him a few ticks. His nostrils flared, he could smell her arousal and it was causing him to harden even further. Honerva moaned and planted her feet against the rock wall at her mate's back and sheathed him deep within her. 

Zarkon hissed and closed his eyes a moment before opening them again to seek permission from his wife to begin thrusting. Once she bit her bottom lip and nodded he spread his hands, ever mindful of his claws, and adjusted his grip on her waist before thrusting. Soon they has a steadily increasing rhytrm, he bowed his head into his wife's shoulder as he released, enjoying the way honerva tilted her head back and closed her eyes as her release came and her walls gripped him tighter as his knot formed, drawing another lazy hiss from him. 

Slowly they disengaged and sat at the waters edge, hands linked together loosely as the sound of the waves hitting the sand crashed around them. Honerva leaned her weary head against her husband who chuckled and brushed her hair back from her face fondly once he settled her in his lap to fall asleep safely at the waters edge. 

For a brief moment they touched foreheads before sleep claimed her and zarkon smiled as he regarded her. A slight frown tugged at the corners of his mouth as he noticed the prominent new white lock in her lavender hair, and he took note in the pre-morning light that her cheek markings had indeed lengthened another inch. He made a mental note to consult the palace archives on Altean health and wellness before settling back to watch the sunrise in earnest. 

Honerva's lips pursed as in her dreams which glowed a bright golden yellow, a small purple ball hissed at her, with the same voice that she often could hear in the back of her mind when she was awake, that she must continue her research! She should not be taking time to laze about when the rift could yield untold power, if only she would crack it wide open and allow it to enter. It kept repeating a single phrase..... quintessence is life......... quintessence is life.......

 

A slow smile stole across honerva's sleeping face as she nodded in agreement with the purple creature. Yes, she would redouble her efforts! Find a way to shield herself from the effects of quintessence exposure, after all the galra, and zarkon, her life, her love, her reason for living, were counting on her research to yield results.....and of course she could never forget.........

Quintessence is life...........


End file.
